Don’t wait until you’ve reached your “goal weight” or have the “perfect body” to start fully living your life, wearing the clothes you want to wear, and being the person you were born to be.
I have come to a realization that the quest for perfection inside and out is ultimately the search for protection from pain, sadness, and discomfort. When I was younger I thought that once my body was perfect my life would be perfect, and I would always be happy. But the truth is, having a flat stomach doesn’t make you impervious to difficult feelings. Being thin doesn’t exclude you from mental health issues. Life isn’t going to be more magical and amazing once you’re thin.
Society praises thinness and assumes that skinny equals the standard and ideal shape for all women. That beauty means being as fit as possible. That being beautiful means being as youthful as possible. We have been taught that we aren’t worthy unless we are shrinking our bodies and manipulating them to fit inside this box manufactured by corporations. They are profiting off of our insecurities that they planted in our minds. That we must adhere to these standards in order to be worthy, loved, and successful.
Study after study has proven that diets don’t work, that they harm the body and the mind. That they aren’t sustainable, that you might lose weight on the diet and then gain even more weight after you stop. You can’t deny the facts, yet new fad diets keep popping up. Claims that people can promise you weight loss. No one can guarantee your body will lose weight. They don’t know your family history, genetics, or circumstances.
If diets don’t work, why are people still falling for this lie? It’s not their fault that they want to lose weight, it’s what they have been told is normal their entire life. Diet culture is everywhere. It’s hard to escape the gravitational pull of fitting in and being accepted that’s being promised after losing weight.
So what’s next? Dismantling diet culture and reshaping health standards in society. Body positivity is a good start, but how about body neutrality. You have a body. You are not your body. All bodies are good bodies. Stop judging people’s health solely based upon their weight.
Stop restricting and depriving yourself and instead nourish your body. Use intuitive eating. Go back to the basics. If you have a history of yo-yo dieting it’s going to take relearning your bodies hunger, fullness, and satisfaction signals.
Stop exercising to burn off calories or to earn calories. Stop punishing yourself for the natural process of eating. Exercise has so many benefits that have nothing to do with weight loss. Explore ways of exercising that you find joy in and that light you up. It will benefit your brain and reconnect you to your body and help you learn how to properly care for your body.
Learn how to trust your body. It tells you what it needs. You naturally have signals in your brain that tell your body that it needs to eat, that it’s time to stop eating, and that you are full. It always lets you know when it wants to move, to breathe deeply, and to be still. The key is to tune into yourself and get to know yourself so well that it all becomes natural again.
We are born knowing our needs. We need connection. We need sustenance. We need movement. We need fresh air.
If you need any more proof that eating and exercising are natural for us, just observe how children behave. They eat when they are hungry, stop when they are full, and play and jump and run when they want to move. They express themselves. They follow their heart. They are our greatest teachers.
We can return to that intuitive nature. It can be simple and free.
My 1:1 health coaching program is designed to be completely unique to you and your specific issues and goals. I will help gently guide you to better health, inside and out.
I help women of all ages to find body acceptance, peace of mind, and balance in their lives. As a holistic health coach I know that true health is a mind, body, and soul connection.
Healthy with Chelsea 